In an effort to make automobiles more fuel-efficient, automobile exterior designs are becoming more streamlined. One way to achieve this goal, is through the use of flush-mounted panel and window assemblies. The design goal is to locate the panel or window within the vehicle such that the peripheral edge of the panel or window assembly is recessed and the outer surface of the panel is generally flush with any adjoining body panels. In the case of fixed panels, a conventional technique includes placing or running a bead of adhesive material around the entire inside peripheral edge of the panel and bonding it in the vehicle opening. While satisfactory for stationary windows, this method creates problems with movable windows, however, particularly those which articulate about a hinge.
Conventional articulated or hinged windows are fixed to the vehicle by a mounting assembly which is fastened by a stud passing through a hole drilled in the panel. A low profile nut is then threaded onto the stud extending through the panel to retain the panel thereon. A major disadvantage is that a significant number of glass panels are broken as a result of drilling the holes through the panel. The panels are also broken during or after mounting of the mounting hardware. To avoid the breakage of the glass panel, sophisticated techniques have been adapted to drill the holes, and the mounting hardware has been adapted to reduce breakage. As a result, the price of such panel assemblies is unnecessarily high. Moreover, the resulting panel is not truly flush since the mounting hardware has a positive relief with respect to the panel exterior surface.
An attempt to reduce the exterior profile of articulated window assemblies is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,396,221. The window assembly employs a channel extending around the edge of the windowpane, a flexible resilient portion allowing pivotal movement of the windowpane, and one of several types of fasteners. Such fasteners include a clip with a detent received in the seal and securing the hinge and thus the assembly to a pinch weld flange.
Another embodiment of the hinged window assembly just described includes a substantially rectilinear hinge member, which includes a retaining end bonded to the exterior or front surface of the window panel by an adhesive and an opposing retaining end having an aperture, which receives a metal screw extending into the vehicle body. Seated on the pinch-weld flange is a sealing weather strip which forms a closed bulbous portion engaging both the inside surface of the pane as well as a shoulder of the recess leading to the pinch-weld flange on the exterior sheet metal body portion. To conceal the fastener for the hinge, a metal covering extending from the vehicle roof or another portion of the vehicle may extend over the fastener and a substantial portion of the hinge.
A disadvantage associated with each of the above hinged windows is that the hinge member is fixed to the exterior surface of the panel. In addition, in the last embodiment described above, the fastener securing the assembly to the vehicle is exposed, or must include a special cover member. Accordingly, the exterior profile of these window assemblies do not result in a truly flush-mounted, articulated window assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,197 to Repp et al shows one example of a flush mounted hinge window assembly using an adhesive to bond a metal hinge member to a windowpane. However, such metal hinges as taught in Repp et al have experienced adhesive failures when the articulating window assembly is subjected to repeated cycling between open and closed positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,699 to Hill et al, discloses a hinge assembly for an articulating window of a motor vehicle, using an elastomeric hinge member. The elastometric hinge member encapsulates a portion of a mounting stud assembly, which is in turn secured to the motor vehicle. The elastomeric hinge member acts both to secure the windowpane to the motor vehicle and to allow the windowpane to articulate between open and closed positions. However, repeated cycling places high stresses on the mounting stud assembly, which can cause the stud to work its way out of the hinge member, resulting in failure of the hinge.
One attempt to solve the above problems with a bonded hinge is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,128,860. While the bonded hinge resists failure due to severe vibration and extreme climatic conditions, it requires a substantial offset between the first latch portion bonded to the windowpane and the second latch portion attached to the window opening. Thus, this design has not been commercially adapted for thin window recess applications.
Another attempt is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,383 owned by the assignee of the present application and is incorporated herein by reference. The hinge is composed of a unitary elastomeric material with a portion of the elastomeric surface unbonded to the inner surface of the windowpane. When the window pivots, there is local disengagement of the hinge from the windowpane at the unbonded portion. However, when this concept is applied to thin window recess applications, the elastomeric stresses can still be very large in the bonded area.
The present invention seeks to solve the above problems by providing an articulating window assembly. The pivot is adapted for use with a support structure. The assembly includes a windowpane having an inner surface and a hinge member adjacent to the inner surface. The hinge member includes a cylindrical member having a pivot axis and a stud member attached to the cylindrical member. Additionally, a polymeric member surrounds at least a portion of the hinge member so as to permit the hinge to articulate about the pivot axis.
With a hinged joint, the stresses on the polymeric member are substantially reduced at the attachment area since the window rotates, pivots or, articulates about a mechanical joint and does not require that a substantial portion of the pivoting stresses be accommodated by the polymer. Additionally, the present invention is also advantageous because a more compact hinged joint is possible, which reduces the polymeric stresses in the area between the attachment member and the windowpane.
From the foregoing disclosure and the following more detailed description of various preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention provides a significant advance in the technology and art of articulated window assemblies. Additional features and advantages of various preferred embodiments will be better understood in view of the detailed description provided below.
It should be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various preferred features illustrative of the basic principles of the invention. The specific design features of an articulated window assembly as disclosed here, including, for example, specific dimensions of the hinge member and the latch mount, will be determined in part by the particular intended application and use environment. Certain features of the illustrated embodiments have been enlarged or distorted relative to others to facilitate visualization and clear understanding. In particular, thin features may be thickened, for example, for clarity of illustration. All references to direction and position, unless otherwise indicate, refer to the orientation of the articulated window assemblies illustrated in the drawings.